2022 MLB Predictions

I was debating whether or not I would do this, but someone asked and so I am obliging.  I will be honest, I have not paid as much attention this offseason because I was upset with the lockout and further upset about how the powers that be continue to try and destroy the game.  Suffice it to say, I do not like any of the changes that have been made.  But, it’s still baseball, and so here’s my (largely uneducated) predictions:

 

American League

 

East

 

Toronto Blue Jays

            In my opinion, this is the most exciting team to watch.  They should have made the playoffs last season, and the definitely will this year, especially if they can get a full year from Springer.  Biggio also needs to have a big rebound, but they have probably the best lineup even without him at full speed.

Tampa Bay Rays

            They may not look that great on paper, but this team just finds ways to win and so I can’t pick against them.  It’ll be interesting to see just how good Wander Franco can be.  I was surprised about them trading Meadows, and I wonder how that might effect their offense.

New York Yankees

            They had some really interesting transactions this offseason and it’s really hard to figure how good they will be.  They don’t have a lot of depth, especially in the outfield.

Boston Red Sox

            Lots of question marks with this team is why I have them below the Yankees.  Can they piece together a decent rotation?  Will Trevor Story hit outside Colorado?  Can they win with Jackie Bradley Jr. as a regular? (NO)

Baltimore Orioles

            They have some good pieces, and we should see Adley Rutschman and some of the other prospects get a chance.

 

Central

 

Chicago White Sox

            Though they are the best team in the division on paper by far, they are not a slam dunk to win it.  They have more potential holes than most people will admit, like second base, the outfield, and the rotation.

Minnesota Twins

            I picked them to win last year, and they were easily the most disappointing team.  They were very active in the offseason, adding Gary Sanchez, Gio Urshela, and of course Carlos Correa.  I think Alex Kirilloff is going to have a big season.  Can Byron Buxton stay healthy and live up to his potential as one of the best overall players in the game?  Will they bring in some arms to solidify the bullpen?

Detroit Tigers

            The Tigers were also quite active, adding Javier Baez and Austin Meadows among a few others.  They are perhaps the biggest “if” team in baseball.  Best case, they are good enough to land a Wild Card spot.  Worst case, the rotation falls apart and they end up at the bottom of the division.

Kansas City Royals

            They should have a solid offense but a very questionable pitching staff.  I am very much looking forward to seeing what Bobby Witt Jr. can do.

Cleveland Indians (err, Guardians)

            I’m not picking them last just because of their stupid new name (you want to change from the Indians?  Fine.  Why not pick the Spiders, something with history that all the fans wanted?)  They’re almost the opposite of the Royals.  They should have a solid rotation, but they’ll be hard-pressed to get any offense.  I’m shocked they signed Ramirez to an extension.

 

West

 

Houston Astros

            I very nearly did not pick them to win the division, though most people have them a lock.  Will Verlander bounce back?  Will LMJ ever be healthy for a full season?  The biggest problem is that their weakness is up the middle (catcher, shortstop, centerfield), which you never want to have as a weakness.

Seattle Mariners

            They seem improved and could be an exciting young team, but young teams have a tendency to disappoint, it’s just a matter of how long that will be the case.

Texas Rangers

            Kind of out of nowhere they went all in on two big free agents for the double play partners, Semien and Seager.  There’s no way Semien repeats his massive 2021.  Their pitching is also a massive question mark.  They do look like they’re trying to win, however, which is a sign of hope for the fans.

Los Angeles Angels

            What’s their biggest problem every season?  Starting pitching.  What did they do to fix that?  Bring in Syndergaard who pitching all of two innings last year and none in 2020.  It’s another lost season for Trout, and part of me can’t help but laugh.

Oakland Athletics

            They clearly are not even trying to win this season, and it’ll get even worse once they trade Frankie Montas.  They might struggle to win 50 games, let alone 60.

 

National League

 

East

 

Atlanta Braves

            The defending champions are perhaps better than last year, or at least equal.  Yes, there are still some questions about their pitching.  But they look to have a full year from Ozuna and Rosario, Acuna should return soon, and Riley looks like the real deal.  I also think Freeman for Olson is basically a wash.

New York Mets

            They added Scherzer and Starling Marte, two really good additions.  The biggest question is how long deGrom will miss, like last year.

Philadelphia Phillies

            They added Catellanos and Schwarber, two clear offense-only guys, so their lineup is fairly strong.  They also have two very good starters.  But the rest of the rotation and the bullpen???

Miami Marlins

            They have the makings of a good team, but they’re still probably a year away.  They have the potential of having one of the best rotations in baseball.  If their offense clicks like it could, they will seriously contend for a playoff spot.

Washington Nationals

            Yes, Soto might be the best player in the National League, but if he wins the MVP like some people are predicting that’s crazy.  This team looks really bad.

 

Central

 

Milwaukee Brewers

            For the first time…ever, the strength of this team might be the pitching.  They have one of the best bullpens in baseball, and some solid starters in Woodruff and Burnes.  Yelich has to return to MVP form, and Hiura needs to be the bat that they expect him to be.

            --That’s what I wrote last year, and it still holds.  They are slightly less dependent on Hiura, but they still need Yelich to come back from wherever he’s gone the last couple of years.

St. Louis Cardinals

            As someone else said, if you do nothing in the offseason you’re going backwards.  Signing Pujols was a nice sentimental move, but he’s not going to add much, and their biggest hole is the pitching anyways.

Cincinnati Reds

            The bottom three in this division could be very bad.  The Reds still have some good players, but not a lot.

Chicago Cubs

            Yes, they brought in Seiya Suzuki and Marcus Stroman, but the rest of the roster is nothing to write home about.

Pittsburgh Pirates

            What’s to say?  I hate that they are keeping Oneil Cruz in AAA.  Bryan Reynolds is a star, and I hope that Ke’Bryan Hayes gets most of the year healthy.  That’s about it.

 

West

 

Los Angeles Dodgers

            Overrated?  Absolutely.  Best team in baseball?  No.  I hate that they have Trea Turner.  Here’s hoping Cody Bellinger continues to be terrible.

San Francisco Giants

            Adding Rodon makes up for losing Gausmann.  There’s no way they repeat the number of career years they saw last year.

San Diego Padres

            I want to love this team.  I want them to win the division.  Tatis will miss an unknown number of games.  Until they show that they’re going to live up to expectations, I’m going to temper mine.

Arizona Diamondbacks

            These bottom two teams are basically a toss up and will probably both struggle to win 60 games given their division.  I have Arizona slightly higher because they do have some potentially decent pitching.

Colorado Rockies

            Kris Bryant signing here is one of the biggest head-scratchers since…Mike Hampton signed in Colorado.  They might have some offense, but I don’t trust their pitchers outside Marquez.

 

There’s a dramatic change in the playoffs this year and I 1: don’t like it and 2: don’t completely understand it.  Rather than trying to figure out who’s playing whom, I will just list my playoff teams and my World Series matchup.

 

Playoffs:

 

AL:

            Blue Jays

            White Sox

            Astros

            Rays

            Twins

            Yankees

 

NL:

            Braves

            Brewers

            Dodgers

            Giants

            Padres

            Mets

 

World Series: Blue Jays over Brewers

            Great pitching versus great hitting, this time the hitting wins

 

AL MVP: Vladimir Guerrero Jr.

AL Cy Young: Lucas Giolito

AL ROY: Bobby Witt Jr.

 

NL MVP: Matt Olson

NL Cy Young: Corbin Burnes

NL ROY: Oneil Cruz

American League Uniforms

Ah, Spring Training.  Baseball is back in the air.  With plenty of snow here on the ground, it just increases my Spring itch.  I have to write about baseball, because I certainly am thinking about it a lot.  This Spring, I wanted to talk about the uniforms.  I have always liked the uniforms, and I have strong opinions about them.  My plan is to give a grade for each team’s current uniforms, and then talk about my favorite/least favorite uniforms for each franchise (note: for the older franchises many of the early years had no logos, which I will not factor into the best/worst).  Let’s jump into the American League.

Baltimore:

Grade: B+

Their white home jerseys are pretty good, but by far my favorite are the orange alternate jerseys with the white-front cap (I usually like caps that are three toned).  I am not a fan of their black jerseys nor of their “O’s” caps.  As usual, the road grays are average.

Best: 1989-1992

Before they were in Baltimore, they were the St. Louis Browns.  Their uniforms were largely as plain as they get.  Once they moved to Baltimore, the uniforms have been largely…uniform.  The biggest difference usually comes down to caps: smiling bird face or full bird.  I prefer the late 80s/early 90s version with orange alternate. 

Worst:  1995-1996

Again, it usually comes down to the caps, and for some reason these two seasons they had gray road caps.  Way too much gray.

Boston:

Grade: B+

While their uniforms are pretty classic, they are, let’s be honest, somewhat boring.  The alternate uniforms are decent, I think I prefer the blue over the red.  The caps are simple but always good.  I am glad they have gone back to wearing red socks.

Best:  1908

The first year they became the “Red Sox,” they went all out and had them on the jerseys.  For some reason, they only kept these beauties for one year.  They were previously the Boston Americans, hence the “B A” alternates, which are equally great.

Worst: 1973

These aren’t particularly bad, but since their uniforms have been pretty much the same since the 30s, I had to pick out something.  In this case, I am not a big fan of the pullover look versus the regular button downs.

New York:

Grade: A-

Similar to the Red Sox, they are classic and somewhat boring.  The edge is their pinstripes and the NY is nice.  I always appreciate that they have no alternates.

It’s not worth it to do a Best/Worst because it has basically been they have basically been the same throughout franchise history.

Tampa:

Grade: C-

The Rays uniforms are kind of plain and uninspired.  Their primary cap is fine, the alternate is dumb.  The dark blue uniform is definitely their best, the light blue is pretty bad.

Best: 2005-2007

The only Rays uniforms I think are halfway decent, I like these because of the green sleeves.  Even then, I’d only give them a barely passing grade.

Worst: 1998-2000

The original “Devil Rays” uniforms have the late-90s comical look that did not work.  They had way too many “unique” colors to make them stand out, and they were bad.

Toronto:

Grade: B+

Something about their uniforms works.  I love the jay logo with the red maple leaf.  Interestingly their blue “alternate” uniform, their best, was also worn the most last year.  I like how the numbers are not just solid.

Best:  1989-1990

A lot of teams went with the light blue road uniforms in the 70s and 80s, and I was a big fan.  This was definitely the best look for them.

Worst:  2004-2005

Yeah, I did not like the “new” look with the “Jays” across the front, and I did not understand why they did away with the classic logo.  They were smart to go back to the older look starting in 2012.  Especially bad are the gray home caps during these two years.

Chicago:

Grade: C

These uniforms are kind of boring.  Similar to Toronto, their black “alternates” were used the most last year.  In fact, they only wore the home pinstripes (my favorite) 27 games and the road grays 23 games.  It’s like they are trying to copy the Yankees, but they don’t have the historical gravitas.

Best: 1912-1915

For about two decades starting in 1912 their uniforms were variations on a theme, but these are my favorite.  I really like the “Sox” logo with the pinstripes for home, and the unusual (for the time) road dark blues.  Oh, and they actually wore white socks!

Worst: 1976-1981

These are the infamous softball jerseys for the White Sox, truly some of the worst for any franchise in baseball history.  Collars?  Boring blue and white?  Shorts (at least once)?  What were they thinking?

Cleveland:

Grade: C-

Usually red, white, and blue, are my favorite combos, but these uniforms are just boring.  We’re seeing a trend here, they wore their alternate blues the most.  I also usually like alternate blues, but again for some reason these just don’t work for me.  I guess I’m just not a fan of the script “Indians.”  This year, they are getting rid of Chief Wahoo on the caps, which is a shame (I know, racist, but it is much more interesting than the “C”).

Best:  1989-1993

I could say I like these most because I like the multicolor shoulders.  I could, but really I like these mostly because of the movie Major League (actually the second one, but I do prefer the striped shoulders over the plain ones from the first movie and 1986-1988).

Worst: 1974-1977

The Indians added red uniforms which definitely looked more pink.  They were incredibly ugly.  Especially terrible are the all “red” alternates they sometimes wore.

Detroit:

Grade: A

Classic, clean, really nice.  Even the road grays with the script “Detroit” work.  I also really like the Old English “D.”  These uniforms are so good they don’t need alternates.

Best:  1995-1997

The only real difference between these and the present uniforms?  The road cap had the tiger figure in the “D” and an orange brim.  I like this little difference just slightly better.

Worst:  1927

The vast majority of their uniforms have been similar, and similarly great.  This single season they went with cartoon tigers on their jerseys.  Those tigers were…less than great.  Good for them they ended the experiment after one season.

Kansas City:

Grade: C+

I don’t dislike these uniforms, they are just slightly above average.  I do like their “KC,” but not a huge fan of either of the alternate blue uniforms.

Best:  1973-1982

With the Red Sox, I said I prefer button-downs to pullovers.  Here, I am saying the opposite.  Maybe it is because these are from their best years, but the simple script on the home whites and the light blue road jerseys work best for me.

Worst:  1983-1991

Again, it seems like I am contradicting myself, since these years they went with the button-down jerseys.  What I really don’t like about them is the white script “Royals” on the road light blues.  It just does not work for me.  But to be honest, most of the uniforms in franchise history are about the same.

Minnesota:

Grade: C

Their set of uniforms are fine.  My favorite jersey would be the alternate pinstripe whites with the different script “Twins.”  I do not like the red alternate jerseys.  I am a fan of the caps with the “TC” logo.

Best:  1961-1971

Before they were in Minnesota, they were the Washington Senators/Nationals.  The Washington uniforms were all fairly bland, but not terrible.  Most of the uniforms since they’ve been in Minnesota have been fine, if I were grading them all they’d mostly be in the “C”s.  I basically just decided to go with the originals with the more simple “Twins” script.

Worst: 1987-2009

Two things I don’t like about these.  First, while I usually like pinstripes, I did not like the road grays with pinstripes.  Second: I hated the “M” caps.

Houston:

Grade: A-

Yes, I am a little biased, but I also really like the orange/blue combos.  I love that they returned to the H-star caps, especially with the orange brim.  Regarding the jerseys, I am still not totally solid on the alternate blues, though I do like how the sides call back to the rainbow unis.  The orange jerseys really stand out, but I also really like the classic, clean look of the home whites.  I usually prefer pinstripes, but in this case I’m glad they are not.

Best: 1965-1970

Everybody loves the Colt .45s jersey, but for the Astros the original shooting star is still my favorite.  I like most uniforms for the franchise, but this stands out for simplicity yet uniqueness.  The following four years the uniforms was similar except orange instead of blue, but I definitely like the blue better.

Worst: 2000-2012

I get why they went to the brick red uniforms after moving to then-Enron Field, but it was a complete disconnect from the rest of the franchise uniforms.  Since they don’t look like the Astros should look, they are my least favorite.  I was very happy when they went “retro” in 2013.

Los Angeles:

Grade: D

Like some other teams, they use their alternates the most.  Unfortunately, the alternate reds are easily their worst, and some of the worst in baseball.  It’s just way too much red.  Red on red on red.  The regular home whites are fine, as are the road grays, but those reds are just so bad.  It might be better if they had a blue cap that went with them, but no, the caps are also red on red.  Not good.

Best: 1973-1992

The uniform they have worn the longest was also their best.  There are just enough unique things about it, the halo around the “A”, the California on the sleeve, to keep it from being too boring.  I prefer it to the current set because of the use of blue rather than an overload of red.

Worst: 1997-2001

While the current uniforms are not great, the late 90s unis with the cartoonish angel wings were worse.  Some of the reworks in that era worked, this one definitely didn’t.

Oakland:

Grade: A

I love the A’s green and yellow.  Their alternate greens are the best, and of course they are worn the most.  Pretty much all of their jerseys are top notch, except the alternate yellow.  I prefer the home caps with the yellow brims, but the road all-greens are not bad.  There is really little to downgrade them, other than the yellow jerseys.

Best: 1987-Present

I love the Philadelphia uniforms, which were usually either with a large “A” or an elephant on the jersey.  When they were in Kansas City, in 1963, they switched from blue/red to green/yellow which they use now.  The uniform has been largely consistent since 1987, with slight variations.  I have already said why I like these so much.

Worst: 1968

The greens during this era were too yellow; I much prefer the darker green used now.  There is also the problem with the all-yellow unis they used.  Finally, I think this is the only year they went with “Oakland” across the chest, which is a bad departure from the historical “A’s”.

Seattle:

Grade: C-

I’ve never really bought into these uniforms, though they have been using them for a long time now.  Maybe my grade is a little harsh, but I just do not particularly like them.  I guess the regular home whites are okay, but nothing special.  The blues are probably their best, but the teals are hideous.

Best: 1981-1984

I definitely prefer the “pitchforks” (as my brothers called them) from the early years, plus the light blue road uniforms.  Maybe it’s a bit too much with the stripes down the sides, but I kind of like it.

Worst: 1993-Present

Yes, they have basically worn the same uniforms for over 25 years, or most of the Griffey years and since.  I already mentioned why I do not like them much.

Texas:

Grade: B-

The Rangers’ uniforms are kind of all over the place.  They almost have too many choices.  My favorite are the home whites, though the alternate blues are not bad.  I am not a huge fan of the alternate reds.  It seems like they should have better uniforms.  At least they have the Texas flag patches on the arms.

Best: 1976-1982

It’s a hard choice because I definitely liked the Ryan-era jerseys, but I like these for a couple of reasons.  First, I like the “Old West” look of the lettering.  Second, once again light blue road jerseys are winners.  Third, those road jerseys were definitely better than the boring road grays from the Ryan-era.

Worst: 1983

I don’t really remember seeing these before researching this post.  The jerseys are just too busy.  The logo may be okay as a logo, but not on the jersey.  Smart that they changed after one year.